In between crisscrossing the country reeling in recruits, Brian Kelly returned to South Bend for an important recruiting weekend and the year-end 2010 Football Awards Show. He also took a few minutes to recap season one with the media. (If you’d like to see the entire thing, our friends at UND.com have you covered.)

As always, here are some highlights, with a few observations included.

I mentioned it yesterday, but Kelly put any speculation to rest and announced that David Ruffer is going on scholarship.

“What I can report today is that we are going to award David Ruffer a scholarship for next year,” Kelly said. “I can make that announcement today. I will meet with our other fifth-year seniors on Monday and we’ll have an announcement on Tuesday relative to the remaining players.”

Kelly said that every fifth-year candidate applied to return, meaning Harrison Smith, Gary Gray, Taylor Dever, Mike Ragone, Andrew Nuss, and Matt Romine all have the option of coming back to school. According to Irish Illustrated, he also said after the press conference that taking Nate Montana off scholarship isn’t on his list of potential roster moves to get under the 85 man roster maximum.

I’m going to assume Smith, Gray and Dever are all back as starters. I’ll also assume that the coaching staff will continue recruiting Troy Niklas and Savon Huggins. That means there are two roster spots for the combo of Ragone, Nuss, Romine, Niklas and Huggins.

Of course, if Kelly’s spoken with a veteran who hasn’t cracked the lineup and might want to transfer (i.e. a Deion Walker), that’s something he’ll know about and we won’t, especially if those players want to finish the semester and not fall behind academically.

We’ll find out more on Monday, but as I’ve said before, too many viable roster options is a good problem to have.

***

What a difference a spring makes. Last season, the coaching staff walked on egg shells as they gave Dayne Crist, six months off ACL surgery, virtually every rep in spring practice. This year, there’ll be six quarterbacks on the roster, with Crist reportedly ready to go.

“We think we’re going to be able to really do a lot more of those similar kinds of things and keep him involved and competing within our spring practice format,” Kelly said about Crist.

That said, there’s a very real problem of getting six quarterbacks reps and Kelly has spent a lot of time putting together a plan.

“I have formulated in my mind some real clear guidelines as to how we’re going to move forward there,” Kelly said. “Suffice to say, I’m pretty clear on the styles that we have and how to utilize those styles within our offense.

“We can’t work with six quarterbacks,” Kelly stated. “There will be some paring down. There will be some guys that understand if they’re not in that top four, they’re not going to be able to get reps at the position.”

That could mean position switches, that could mean roster moves, it could mean just about anything, but you’ve got to think the battle starts with Crist and Rees, includes Andrew Hendrix, and potentially Everett Golson, who enrolled early to get immediate work.

It’s amazing to think that after being thrust into a scholarship position because he was the No. 2 quarterback as a walk-on, Nate Montana could drop out of the top four quarterbacks but still be on scholarship.

***

When talking about position switches, Kelly tiptoed through some small moves before dropping a relatively large bomb on everyone.

“What our identity became, compared to what it was at the start of the season, you could make the case now that Theo Riddick should be a running back,” Kelly said. “Or an offensive lineman that played tackle should play guard. Or you’ve got three or four tight ends, how are you going to use them all? As I said, Year 2 for us is less about laying down a system of offense or defense or special teams and more about utilizing the players we have that can help us win football games.”

We can parse words and take guesses what offensive linemen might shift inside or out, but the news that Kelly would consider moving Riddick back to running back after successfully teaching him the Z-receiver position is pretty amazing. When pressed further, here’s what Kelly said.

“I think we’re going to have that conversation as a staff,” Kelly said. “I think we’re going to have to vet that out. I’m not ready to do that right now.”

It could be to get TJ Jones more playing time in the slot, or it could be to use Riddick in more of a Percy Harvin-like role, but it’s almost refreshing to know that the coaching staff isn’t afraid to move one of its best returning players if they think it’s going to help the team.

***

When asked about his star receiver coming back, Kelly was pretty adamant that he landed the number one recruit on his board.

“He’s the No. 1 signee, no question,” Kelly said. “If there’s a sixth star, he gets a sixth star. And it’s more than just what he does on the football field. He’s a workhorse. He sets the bar for how our guys work in the offseason and those are obviously big pieces.”

To give you a better idea of what type of kid Michael Floyd is, Kelly recounted the morning Floyd told him his decision.

“He informed me in the morning that he was coming back,” Kelly said. “Our conversation really from there was about how we wanted to release it. As you know, Mike is not a big press conference guy. Of course, we wanted to have a press conference, and we were even going to serve food. It was going to be a big event. He didn’t want to do that. We met, he said let me think about it, I’m going to sleep on it. He came back the next morning and informed me that he was coming back.”

***

If you’re looking for one paragraph to encapsulate what year one of the Kelly era looked like to the head coach himself, here’s the quote of record:

“The program, the first year, the first coat of paint is a phrase I use a lot,” Kelly said. “That’s the relationship that we build with our players in year one. It’s my philosophy coming about through the year, the message and how we expect our players to represent Notre Dame – all of those things took place in year one. Other than winning only eight football games, which is not enough to win in the first year, we accomplished a lot of the real foundation principles of a championship program. Our football team was better at the end of the year and will continue to progress as we move into year two.”

Big week for The Observer. Not just for its advertising revenues, but for the classy gesture that outgoing senior quarterback Malik Zaire made this week.

Thursday’s edition included a letter to the editor from Zaire, who took to the student newspaper not to make headlines around the internet, but rather to thank the university for his experience in South Bend.

While Zaire’s time at Notre Dame is drawing to a close, he will leave as a proud alum. So while he’ll play football next season at another university, Zaire wrote the following in Thursday’s issue:

Dear Notre Dame students and staff,

My life changed for the better the moment I stepped onto the University of Notre Dame’s beautiful campus. The one goal I had set in my mind to achieve was to become a better man, a Notre Dame man. After growing through many trials and triumphs, the thing I’ve learned most from my experience was that if you don’t believe in yourself first, then no one else will. I believed in becoming a better man and succeeding through any circumstance, and I can say that I’ve truly accomplished that. I often refer to the famous quote from the movie “Catch Me If You Can” that was well put by Frank Abagnale:

“Two little mice fell in a bucket of cream. The first mouse quickly gave up and drowned. The second mouse wouldn’t quit. He struggled so hard that eventually he churned that cream into butter and crawled out.”

I’ve put my heart, soul and passion into the University, the football program, the South Bend community and the Irish community worldwide. I have the unbelievable honor to represent this University to the fullest as a student and soon-to-be alumni. Thank you to the amazing students and staff that I’ve met through the years for helping me grow into the person I’ve always wanted to be. I love the Irish and will always be an Irish alum no matter where I go! I look forward to keeping in touch. Let’s change the world!

Go Irish!

Malik Zaire

Senior
Dec. 7

Zaire is expected to compete for a starting quarterback job next year as a graduate transfer. He’s reportedly taken a visit to Wisconsin and plans to visit North Carolina as well, just two of several programs on the radar as Zaire looks to step in and win a starting Power 5 job.

It’s evaluation season. With college football’s regular season over, the focus now turns to the stay-or-go decision that faces many of college football’s best players. Return for another season? Or head to the NFL?

That’s the big question facing DeShone Kizer. Viewed as a can’t-miss prospect by some earlier in the season, Kizer now awaits feedback from the NFL’s advisory board, who’ll give him either a first-round grade, a second-round grade, or none — essentially serving as a message to return to school.

That feedback is something Kizer’s requested, with Brian Kelly revealing that Kizer is one of four underclassmen requesting a review, joined by Mike McGlinchey, Nyles Morgan and Quenton Nelson.

And while most still think it’s merely a formality before Kizer heads to the NFL, two of the media’s most well-established pundits, ESPN’s Mel Kiper and Todd McShay, are among those who actually think Kizer should stay in school.

There’s really only one guy right now, and he might not even enter the draft. That’s North Carolina’s Mitch Trubisky, a fourth-year junior who is in his first season as the starter. Trubisky has thrown 28 touchdown passes to only four interceptions, but he’s still green — with another year of seasoning, he could be the No. 1 pick in the 2018 draft. He’s not ready to play right away in the NFL.

I don’t see any other first-rounders in the group. Notre Dame’s DeShone Kizer, a third-year sophomore, has to go back to school. Clemson’s Deshaun Watson has taken a step back this season. Underclassmen Luke Falkand Patrick Mahomes could use another year in school, and they don’t project as first-rounders.

McShay echoed Kiper’s evaluation of Kizer, stating: “Kizer needs another year.” And if the Irish get that, it means they’ll have a 1-2 depth chart of a third-year starter in Kizer and junior Brandon Wimbush, who saved a year of eligibility in 2016 and has three remaining.

Kizer’s been clear that he hasn’t made up his mind, planning on talking with his family about the decision in the weeks following the season. And with the year-end banquet this weekend with Notre Dame hosting the “Echoes,” that decision might come sooner than later.

Last year, the NFL draft wasn’t kind to the Irish roster. Four key players gave up eligibility to head to the NFL, with Ronnie Stanley going in the Top 10 to the Baltimore Ravens and Will Fuller joining him as a first-round selection after going to the Houston Texans. Even injured, JaylonSmith was taken near the top of the second round by Dallas andC.J. Prosise was a third-round selection of the Seattle Seahawks.

Jack Swarbrick spoke extensively about the state of the Notre Dame football program. Released last Friday and a part of Swarbrick’s weekly podcast, the Irish athletic director covered the laundry list of hot-button issues, including Brian Kelly’s status, the NCAA order to vacate wins that Notre Dame is appealing, and the challenge of winning football games in today’s environment.

The entire 25 minutes are worth a listen, as Swarbrick and Nolan cover just about every question and complaint that’s out there. And in case you don’t have that time, here’s a quick breakdown:

Swarbrick on the 2016 season.

“It was an extremely disappointing year. Every player, every coach, myself, other administrators involved in the program, we all share the same view. There’s no way around that conclusion. It’s not bad breaks, it’s not a play here, a play there. We didn’t do what we need to do. So we do start from that perspective.

“I think there’s a danger in overreacting to any one piece of information that you get in the course of the evaluation of football programs. That begins with, it looks one way from a this-season perspective, but it feels a little different to me from a two-season perspective.”

Swarbrick on the evaluation process:

“I’m looking at the program. Wins and losses are a huge indicia of where the program is, but it’s not the only one. More important to me, frankly, is the experience of our students. My interaction with them and what their interactions with the coaches, and the environment and are we meeting their expectations. Now, we clearly didn’t meet their expectations competitively this year, because they want to win, too. But on many of the other things, the program elements are in good shape.”

On the off-field issues, and the challenges that faced the football team this fall.

“I don’t want to do anything to minimize the disappointments, whether they’re competitive or unacceptable behavior in the last game at USC by one of our players, obviously, which just isn’t acceptable, it isn’t okay. The disciplinary issues we had to deal with at the front of the year, none of those are acceptable, all of those go into the evaluation, but those are the only ones that sort of get the public scrutiny. I’m dealing with the other 120 young men who are for the most part like my co-host James (Onwualu), doing everything right, making every right decision, having a real positive experience. You’ve got to look at it all, not just isolated elements of it.

Discussing the disappointment of the NCAA’s ruling to vacate wins and why the university is appealing:

“If you’d merely expelled the students, you wouldn’t get this penalty. But because you went though an educative process and kept them in school and adjusted credits and made those things, you subjected yourself to this penalty. That seems like a bad message to send, but that’s one that we’re continuing to advocate for down the road.”

On the challenges of winning in today’s college football, as opposed to 30 years ago.

“I think undoubtedly it is harder. Now, people from that era may have a different view. But there are things that make it harder. But it doesn’t make any difference. It’s harder to win basketball games than it was back then. It’s harder to do a number of things.

“We don’t treat any of that as an excuse or a reason to have different goals. I sort of embrace that. Some of those things that you might view as obstacles are ultimately the things that we have to offer young people. It is the eliteness of the institution and the quality of the education. You can’t say it’s an obstacle and then talk about how great it is because it helps you. That’s the way it is. I wouldn’t trade anything for the circumstance we now compete in. I think it is exactly what it should be. We have to do a better job with it, that’s all.”

Receiver Corey Holmes is transferring from Notre Dame. The junior, who has two seasons of eligibility remaining, will look for a new program after earning his degree this summer, Tom Loy of Irish247 reports.

Holmes told Irish247:

“It’s just the best decision for me. I’m graduating this summer and I’m just going to find the best fit for me to finish things up.”

Even after a strong spring, Holmes saw little action this season, though he played extensively against USC in the season finale. He had four catches against the Trojans, a large part of his 11 on the year, also his career total.

That Holmes wasn’t able to find a consistent spot in the rotation is likely a big reason why he’s looking for a new opportunity. After opening eyes after posting a 4.42 40-yard dash during spring drills, the Irish coaching staff looked for a way to get Holmes onto the field. But after losing reps at the X receiver on the outside, Holmes bounced inside and out, never finding a regular spot in the rotation, playing behind Torii Hunter Jr. and Kevin Stepherson on the outside and CJ Sanders and Chris Finke in the slot.

Holmes has two seasons of eligibility remaining, redshirting his sophomore season. Because he’ll earn his degree this summer, he’ll be able to play immediately next year. Irish 247 reports that Holmes is looking at Miami, UCLA, Arizona State, Arizona and North Carolina, though he’ll have a semester to find other fits.